What are the best Hades 2 keepsakes? The Underworld is a hellish gauntlet like no other, and it's essential to go in prepared if you want to stand any chance of battling through it to reach Chronos. Luckily, Nectar comes with great rewards that could turn your fate around.
Keepsakes are a major component of any Hades 2 build, bestowing Melinoë with unique effects just by equipping them. These helpful gifts come from Hades 2 gods and allies, and can see you through the toughest Hades 2 bosses. Our complete list of keepsakes in Hades 2 includes their effects and how to get them, plus the best keepsakes to unlock first in the roguelike game.
How to unlock keepsakes in Hades 2
You can unlock keepsakes by offering Nectar to most characters that are eligible to receive gifts. You can see the specific characters and the keepsakes they offer in our complete list below.
There is one notable exception to this rule, but this is an endgame keepsake that you can only unlock after you've finished the main story. For the sake of spoilers, we won't go into the specifics here. Check the unlock requirements in our keepsake list below, or pick up the Infernal Contract from Charon's Shop in Oceanus to discover it for yourself.
Best Hades 2 keepsakes
Here are the best keepsakes in Hades 2:
- Luckier Tooth
- Fig Leaf
- Experimental Hammer
- God Keepsakes
Luckier Tooth
Luckier Tooth is effectively an additional Death Defiance, drastically improving your chances to claw your way back from failure and even complete a run you might have written off early on. It's also such an boon to pick up early on in your playthrough, which helps you progress faster than you ordinarily would with the limited tools you have at your disposal at this point. Later on, it's the perfect keepsake to pair with the Strength arcana, giving you a damage boost without technically losing access to Death Defiance.
Fig Leaf
What's better than surviving an enemy encounter? Not fighting through the encounter in the first place. That's exactly what Fig Leaf offers multiple times per run - and, once upgraded, per region. It's the ideal option for players who want to tear through a run quickly, or give you more of a chance in later biomes where even regular encounters become more of a challenge.
Experimental Hammer
The Daedalus Hammer is the fastest way to imbue your weapon with unique actions and effects. While you usually have to hold out hope for it to appear in a region, the Experimental Hammer automatically bestows a random Daedalus Hammer effect after a certain number of encounters.
Not only does this mean you have a bonus weapon skill unlocked at all times, but it also means you don't need to visit Daedalus Hammer rooms as often. Obviously, the random aspect of the Experimental Hammer must be taken into account. Pick up boons that specifically synergize with any of its effects, since it won't last for the duration of your run.
God Keepsakes
We also highly recommend the god keepsakes, though the best of the bunch depends on your preferred playstyle and build. These keepsakes all offer the same thing, and the ability to increase the likelihood of specific god boons to appear during a run offers unparalleled control over the foundation of your build. Boons offered by the same god all have a natural synergy towards one another, and the bonus ability to upgrade one of them ensures the boon that's central to your build is as strong as can be.
All Hades 2 keepsakes
Here is every Hades 2 keepsake, their effects, and how to unlock them:
| Keepsake | Effect | How to unlock |
| Silver Wheel | Gain 50/75/100 Magick this night. | Give Nectar to Hecate |
| Knuckle Bones | The next Guardian loses 5/10/15% health. You take 15% less damage from Guardians. | Give Nectar to Odysseus |
| Luckier Tooth | After you fall to zero health, automatically restore 51/76/101 health once this night. | Give Nectar to Schelemeus |
| Ghost Onion | Whenever you exit a location, fully restore your health, up to a total of 50/75/100 this night. | Give Nectar to Dora |
| Evil Eye | Deal 20/25/30% additional damage to the last foe that vanquished you. | Give Nectar to Nemesis |
| Engraved Pin | When you first fall to zero health in an encounter, become Doomed. Clear it in time for 60 health. | Give Nectar to Moros |
| Discordant Bell | After each encounter, you deal 0.5/0.75/1% additional damage, but also take that much more. | Give Nectar to Eris |
| Gold Purse | Gain 100/125/150 gold once this night. | Give Nectar to Charon |
| Metallic Droplet | You move, strike, and channel 20% faster for the next 200/250/300 seconds. | Give Nectar to Hermes |
| White Antler | For the next region, gain an additional 20/25/30% chance to deal critical damage, but you are limited to 30 life. | Give Nectar to Artemis |
| Moon Beam | A reward from Selene is likely. The next Path of Stars you find grants an additional three/four/five upgrades. | Give Nectar to Selene |
| Cloud Bangle | A Boon of Zeus is likely. You can rarify his common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Zeus |
| Iridescent Fan | A Boon of Hera is likely. You can rarify her common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Hera |
| Barley Sheaf | A Boon of Demeter is likely. You can rarify her common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Demeter |
| Purest Hope | A Boon of Apollo is likely. You can rarify his common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Apollo |
| Beautiful Mirror | A Boon of Aphrodite is likely. You can rarify her common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Aphrodite |
| Adamant Shard | A Boon of Hephaestus is likely. You can rarify his common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Hephaestus |
| Everlasting Ember | A Boon of Hestia is likely. You can rarify her common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Hestia |
| Sword Hilt | A Boon of Ares is likely. You can rarify his common/rare/epic blessings once this night. | Give Nectar to Ares |
| Gorgon Amulet | While you have no Death Defiance, Athena may appear once this night with at least common/rare/epic boons. | Give Nectar to Athena |
| Fig Leaf | A single encounter in one/two/three region(s) may be blissfully free from foes the rest of this night. | Give Nectar to Dionysus |
| Silken Sash | Gain 20 armor. While you have at least one armor, gain an additional two/three/four armor after each location. | Give Nectar to Arachne |
| Aromatic Phial | Fountains restore an additional 20% health. The next turns one random common Boon of yours rare/epic/heroic. | Give Nectar to Narcissus |
| Concave Stone | After choosing a Boon, 25%/50%/75% of the time randomly take one more, once this night. | Give Nectar to Echo |
| Lion Fang | Deal 30/40/50% bonus damage, but lose 5% of this after each encounter. | Give Nectar to Heracles |
| Blackened Fleece | After you take 250 damage, your Omega moves deal an additional 20/30/40% damage. | Give Nectar to Medea |
| Crystal Figurine | After the next Guardian, activate one random inactive Arcana Card. | Give Nectar to Circe |
| Experimental Hammer | Gain one random Daedalus Hammer upgrade that lasts for 10/15/20 encounters. | Give Nectar to Icarus |
| Jeweled Pom | While at the Fates' Whim, gain a random Hades blessing and most boons have one/two/three additional level(s). | Give Nectar to Hades & Persephone |
| Calling Card | While at the Fates' Whim, you can rarify Olympian blessings up to two/four/six times this night. | Defeat Zagreus twice in the Contest of Champions |
| Time Piece | While at the Fates' Whim, you can purge most rewards for gold up to two/three/four times this night. | Give Nectar to Chronos |
| Transcendent Embryo | Gain a random common/rare/epic Chaos blessing once this night. Every eight encounters, replace it. | Give Nectar to Primordial Chaos |
How to swap keepsakes
You can swap keepsakes via the display case, which you automatically unlock after you receive your first keepsake. You can interact with it in the Training Grounds to swap keepsakes before a run, or between regions once you unlock the Kindred Keepsakes incantation.
Kindred Keepsakes becomes available at the Cauldron after you unlock Woodsy Lifespring and defeat Hecate. It requires four limestone, one lotus, and two moly to cast.
There are a few caveats to swapping your keepsakes in the middle of a ruin. Once you swap a keepsake, you will be unable the switch back to the one you had equipped until the end of your run. You also won't be able to access the display case after you close it, at least until its next appearance, so choose carefully.
Now that you know what all the Hades 2 keepsakes are, it's time to delve further into the game's mechanics. Learn about the Hades 2 Arcana Cards and how they work, and find out what Hades 2 weapons are the best for your playstyle.
Additional contributions by Christian Vaz.